Shifter
by BlackShadowHorse
Summary: Kmart is a shape shifter, and at the request of someone close to her, she agrees to provide a certain convoy with protection. Within the convoy, Kmart will find the family that she craves. How will they finally react though, when they discover what the teenager really is? Rating is M to give me some leeway for what I have planned! BSH don't you dream impossible dreams?


**AN**: This is just something that's been bouncing around my mind and I wanted to get this down before I forgot about it. K-Mart is definitely going to be my priority on updating though!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the any of the Resident Evil characters, however The Guardian is mine.

**Characters**: The Guardian, and Kmart.

**About The Guardian**: The Guardian is exactly what it sounds like. While he's a supernatural, his job is to keep the peace between the supes and humans. Lancaster County is home to some of the most dangerous creatures, who take pride in hunting humans and supes alike. The Guardian is the only one with the ability to keep them under control. You'll learn more about him later.

**KMart, The Guardian**

The blonde girl padded barefoot through the forest, her hazel eyes flicking left and right highly aware of her surroundings. Her white sundress swished around her legs,and her blonde hair cascaded down her back, blowing gently in the slight breeze. She paused for only a moment, tilting her head up and sniffing the air around her, scenting for any infected. The smell in the air was faint, but there. She relaxed for a moment as she realized there was no one but The Guardian in the immediate area. "You wished to see me Sir?" The teenager spoke softly and respectfully to the older man, staring at the back of The Guardian who was clad in white robes.

The man stood from his sitting position upon the rock, and turned and faced the teenage girl he'd called for only a few minutes before. "Dahlia." He spoke softly, and she gasped, her eyes locked firmly upon the bite between his shoulder and neck.

"K-mart." The girl automatically corrected, her hazel eyes filled with sadness at the sight of the bite. "You've been bitten." The girl spoke quietly, her voice wavering. She knew now why he had called for her, and her stomach turned.

"Correct little one." He said with a smile, his ice blue eyes sweeping over the girl's slender frame. He'd known of the girl since her birth, and had taken her under his protection from a young age. Teaching the girl what she would have needed to become a member of the Royal Guard, but that was just a pipe dream now, for both his and her kind. "I was bitten yesterday, and while my blood fights the infection and slows the speed which it takes over my body, I have merely three days left in both of our worlds." The man spoke softly, and he turned away from the young one, and faced the valley, his acute vision catching a glimpse of the yellow hummer that traveled the roads through Dahlia's hometown- the reason for his calling her.

"How may I serve you Sir?" The girl asked softly, stepping forward recalling The Guardian's reason for calling upon her.

The Guardian studied the girl for a few moments. "You know of my gifts?" He finally asked and the girl's head snapped up. She'd heard rumors for certain of second sight. K-mart finally allowed herself to nod. "Good, that saves me a lot of time." The Guardian mused aloud, his pale eyes sweeping down again. "I've seen what's going to happen to you if I don't interfere and change your path little one, and I can't allow you to die like that." The Guardian finally said, and he gave her a small smile. "In the years I've come to know you, I've come to think of you as more of my child." Tears formed in the teenager's eyes, she'd felt the same way, though she'd never voiced that for fear of disrespecting one of the most powerful supernatural creatures in the world.

The older man sighed softly, and paused. "No matter which way I guide you, you won't be able to avoid tonight's confrontation. However if you follow the path I lay out for you and accept the mission I've chosen for you, you will survive." The Guardian spoke softly. "The infection that Umbrella spread is traveling faster than any one of our races could have believed." The Guardian began. "Few humans are immune to the outbreak. Those that are will be targets of the Corporation." The Guardian began walking down one of the trails that the girl often ran, in order to keep herself in shape, and to keep what was left of her town safe from infection.

"There's a group of humans traveling through your town. I've seen great things coming from a couple of them." The Guardian began, his eyes flicking to the girl, watching the confusion and surprise sweep across her features before she quickly schooled them, and nodded, insuring that she was following him. "I wish for you to protect them tonight. Offer them my protection and yours." K-mart sat up, and The Guardian handed her a scroll, the first of a few items that he'd be gifting to her this evening. She unrolled it, and her eyes widened, and the Guardian nodded. "I'm cancelling your debt to them, but they will not be happy. They will attack you." Kmart nodded, and looked away. She'd expect nothing less from the bullies.

"Thank you Sir." The girl spoke softly, and she glanced away from him, hiding the tears that spilled down her cheek, carefully stepping over a branch that was growing over the footpath.

"There's no need to thank me little one," the man spoke softly, and offered her a small smile, which was rare from him. "The witch who watched over the humans of the town was infected as well. She doesn't have much time left either, she'll last until a few minutes past sunrise tomorrow, meaning the protection you have from the pack will wear off completely. You must get yourself and the humans out of Lancaster County before the sun reaches it's peak in the sky, the hunt will be called to a start at dawn." K-mart hissed softly, seething at the thought, but once again got her emotions under control as she'd been trained to do. "The humans will be seeking shelter in your home in only a few minutes. Explain the dangers to the redheaded one, but do not reveal your true self." The Guardian commanded and as they walked paused at the woods line near her property. "They will accept you when the time comes." The Guardian smiled kissing the top of the girl's head.

He handed the girl a sharp sword, with his mark on it, and she flicked her gaze from the weapon to The Guardian's face once again. "I wish for you to take this, you'll need it in the future." He smiled softly and he slipped off his ring and put it on a simple, but long necklace, that wouldn't interfere with her shifting ability, and he placed it over the girl's head, the ring dropping to just above her breasts. "You'll carry my mark which will protect you from many supernaturals along your journey. Some will avoid you after spying it, and others will seek to help you." K-mart gripped the cool ring in her hand, nodding seriously.

"There's nothing I can say to change the things I've done and hid from you, and I pray someday that someone will come and take away the pain." The older man said, caressing her cheek gently, and he began slipping back to the woods. "This is the last time you'll see me, however if one of the other members deem it safe, you'll always have a place in our guard." The man spoke and he disappeared, fading out as he teleported away.

The teenager tensed up as she entered her home, climbing the stairs, her feet seeming like they weighed thousands of pounds as she placed the sword on her bed, and she wandered back down the stairs, her acute hearing picking up the sounds of vehicles coming down her bumpy driveway. The teen took the stairs two at a time, and she set the scroll down on the counter, grabbing her hunting knife from a side table near the door, unsure of if it was the humans or the werewolves, and she took to the bushes, slinking down and hiding, her eyes flashing gold. She wasn't ready to face the wolves yet.

**Claire, Carlos, KMart**

Claire pulled her yellow hummer to a stop in front of the farm house, her emerald green eyes scanning the area, checking for any infected, and deciding the area was clear, she stepped from the parked vehicle. Heavy footsteps followed behind her closely, the scent of leather and gunpowder heavy in the air. "What do you think Carlos?" She asked the soldier beside her, and the man flicked his eyes towards the redhead before glancing to the farm house.

"It looks clear, an area that would be easily defended. I'm a little leery over the fact there's only one way to get out though." The soldier confessed. "However we haven't seen any infected through the town, so I'm assuming that it'll be safe for tonight." He said, as he shifted his weight, and switched the safety off on his weapon, and grinned at the redhead he'd become so fond of in the past few weeks.

"Well let's check it out, then get the kids bunked down for the night." The redhead said softly as she walked up the stairs, testing the doorknob, and let the door swing open slowly. The pair swept through each room, and Claire picked up the sword that rested on the bed, taking in the array of weapons that were set up along the walls of the room. Carlos let out a little whistle at the sight of them all, gently picking up a throwing star. "We can pack these up tonight after the kids are settled." Claire spoke finally. "This place is clear. Why don't you go get the kids, We'll stay here for the night."

A framed photograph of a young blonde, and a white haired man caught the pair's attention. It was the only photograph in the entire house. Claire studied the uniform, never having seen it before. "Think this is this guy's house?" Claire asked, after spotting the sword that the man carried, a perfect match to the one that lay on the mattress.

"Must be." Carlos assumed, as they began walking down the stairs, Claire heading into the kitchen to find something to make for the kids for dinner, while Carlos exited the home, and wandered over to the vehicles. Had he been paying attention, he would have seen the blonde exit the bushes and climb through the living room, landing silently on the floor, and entering the kitchen, leaning against the doorway, taking her time studying the woman who was checking under the cabinets.

"Can I help you?" Kmart finally asked, and Claire let out a scream, bumping her head against the countertop, and she spun around her weapon drawn, studying the teenager she'd seen from the photograph from the room above her. Kmart sauntered over to the fridge, pulling out a can of coke, and she offered one to the woman who was obviously scavenging for supplies.

The redhead frowned deeply, opening her mouth to say something, then closing it again. Kmart rolled her eyes and she hopped up on the counter, sitting down, and popping open the can, sipping the soda. "Welcome to my house." Kmart smiled slightly. "And do you mind putting your gun down? If I wanted to hurt you I would've done so already."

"Who are you?" The redhead asked, lowering her gun slightly, but not putting it down yet.

"My name is Kmart." The teenager spoke her arms crossed and her legs swinging slightly. "But don't you think I should be the one asking the questions as this is my house, and you were the one found inside of it?" The girl asked, raising an eyebrow.

Claire blushed deeply, and glanced away. "Sorry, and my name's Claire Redfield." The woman said softly. Kmart tensed up for a moment, and wondered if it was any relation to- Kmart shook her head. There was no use in dwelling over someone that was probably dead, the teen thought dryly. "My friends and I were seeking shelter for the night, and maybe some 've been on the move from the infected since the Raccoon City outbreak." Kmart finally nodded.

"You're welcome to stay here, and scavenge what you need. Outback you'll find a gas tank." The blonde flicked her eyes to the clock. "But I have some rules. One, you must be inside by six, and you are not to step outside until dawn, no matter what." The blonde searched the redhead's eyes. "It's for your safety as well as mine. I have some people coming by tonight, and they're not the most… pleasant of people." Kmart began, tapping her thigh thoughtfully. "Two, you do not touch the sword upstairs." The teen bit back a growl, remembering how they'd already touched the weapon. "Three we have to be out of here a few minutes after dawn."

Claire raised an eyebrow. "We?" She queried, and the blonde grinned a bit. "What makes you think we need someone else traveling with us who can't defend themselves?"

"First off, I'm providing you with food, shelter, gas, and other assorted supplies. Second, what makes YOU think that I can't defend myself?" The blonde inquired. "Didn't you see my bedroom? I assure you those weapons aren't for decoration." The teenager said, and pulled her hunting knife out of it's sheath. "red apple, top of the bowl, over there." Kmart gestured over to the redhead, motioning her head in it's general direction of the fruit bowl, a good fifteen feet away from her current position, never taking her eyes off the redhead as she gripped the blade, and flung it in the direction of the fruit, the knife and apple embedding itself in the wall. "There's burgers in the freezer." The teen finally said, watching Claire swallow heavily, and frown.

"Burgers sound good." Kmart flicked her eyes in the direction of the soldier and he offered the girl a small smile, wandering over to the blonde teenager and he offered his hand to her. "Carlos Olivera, at your service." He introduced himself, and the teen studied the uniform he was wearing.

"UBCF?" The girl asked, and the soldier's head snapped up.

"Head of my unit." The soldier said, and the teen nodded thoughtfully as she hopped down from the counter, retrieving the knife from the wall.

"Hmm, Daddy dearest won't be pleased with the hole in the wall." Kmart muttered darkly, and she took a bite out of the fruit, never having been one to be wasteful, and the teen stood in front of the sink, letting the water heat up, and she poured some soap over a sponge, washing away the coverup she'd placed over her arms and shoulders, exposing the bruises that she'd hidden from The Guardian. "How good are you at hand to hand combat?" The girl inquired, sparing a glance in the man's direction.

"Pretty good if I do say so myself." The soldier grinned, and snagged the other half of the girl's apple, ruffling the teen's hair, causing the girl to laugh softly. "Everyone's in, and the kids are hungry." Carlos said, deferring to Claire, and he took another bite of the fruit. The girl nodded slowly, glancing at the clock, and she reached under the kitchen cabinet, taking out a med kit.

"Just don't touch this one." The teen grumbled as she set it by the front door. "I'll need it when I get back in." The teen looked away from both of them, and she touched the necklace gently. "Help yourselves to whatever you need, I'll be back before dawn." Kmart spoke softly, grabbing the scroll and she slipped outside, just as the howls rang through the air.


End file.
